2/7 – Disney Earnings Beat Forecast but Revenue Misses

Walt Disney reported quarterly earnings that beat analysts’ expectations, but its revenue missed Wall Street’s forecast as attendance at its parks and resorts rose. Disney delivered fiscal first-quarter earnings excluding items of 80 cents per share, up from 68 cents a share in the year-earlier period. Revenue was $10.78 billion, up slightly from $10.72 billion a year ago. Analysts had expected the company to report earnings excluding items of 72 cents per share on revenue of $11.18 billion, according to a consensus estimate from Thomson Reuters. While advertising revenue was up for Disney’s broadcasting properties, ratings were down. Iger said the ratings drop at sports network ESPN, for instance, was from the National Basketball Association lockout, which didn’t end until Christmas and deprived ESPN of weeks of games, according to CNBC.